Years passed them by.

Ana watched the young page grow into a squire. The man before her was no longer helpless, he had defeated many in duels and other competitions of knighthood. She fashioned his weapons and cared for his gear, as Eisener did for Stolzer.

She worked feverishly in the forge alongside her master. Though she was far younger than him, she absorbed his techniques like a sponge.

“Ana, do not forget the rivets in your breastplate. It is due in a few hours.” Eisener called from his area. His body was failing him, but he kept his spirits high.

“Yes, papa.”

The bell, which she crafted and fashioned to the door, tolled to alert them of their customer. Another knight, who heard of her craftsmanship, had ordered the breastplate some time ago. His aura was that of a noble born.

“Is it ready yet? I expect results.” He tapped his foot impatiently. The bell rang again behind him, Gelehrter and Rena entering in unison.

“Ana, do you need help?” Rena attempted to shout over the ringing of the hammer and the roaring flames of the forge, but was instead met with silence. The soot in the air always tickled her nostrils and she sneezed, knocking her head into the knight.

“Foolish girl, watch yourself!”

“If you cause trouble, I will use your order for other work. You are not here to bother anyone, stand over there.” Ana barked.

“You can't tell me--”

“You will do as she says.” Eisener stood upright, using a massive hammer as his cane and motioned for him to stand away from the door.

Without another word he took his place. The master smith smiled and returned to his seat.

In twenty minutes, the noble left with his intricate breastplate.

“What brings you here?” Ana addressed them after a spell, washing the soot from her face. She discarded the cloth into the usual pile.

“We were in the area, so we thought we would pay a visit.” Rena nudged Gelehrter, who busied himself with the details of a sword.

“Aye, we were in the area.”

“Care for some coffee, papa?” Ana now took to Eisener, who had been sitting in his rocking chair. His place was near the forge, though the workshop was busy during daylight. The old smith appeared to mull over her question, but she allowed no time for a response. She exited the workshop and returned with three mugs full of hot coffee, handing one to Rena, Gelehrter and Eisener.

“Oh, you don't have--”

“You will accept coffee, you are our guests.” Eisener chuckled. “You have been our guests for some time and you do not ever seem to remember our rules.”

“Aye, it seems to be our worst trait.” Rena shrugged and sipped at her beverage. Ana turned over a couple of barrels with ease for them to sit on.

“How is Stolzer?” Ana asked.

“He is doing better.”

“Nothing out of the ordinary?” The master smith stroked his beard and merely set his coffee on his lap.

“Either Ovelia or another Justicar interviews him, but they are all the same. I feel as though it is a wasted effort.” Gelehrter sighed.

Behind them the bell chimed and Ana immediately shooed them out. She turned over the sign outside the door.

“I believe even our great Overlord does not know what it is she is looking for.” Eisener motioned for his pipe and Ana prepared it for him. He puffed on it for a few moments, exhaling rings into the air.

“What about you, Eisener? Are you--”

“I haven't been the same. I am old, all that is left is for me to die.” He replied coldly and shrugged. “I have lived through several wars, that is long enough.”

Silence prevailed over them for a time.

“Gelehrter, help me with the clean up.” Her emerald gaze fixed onto him as the order was given. He nodded nervously.

“I hear you are fitting into his old role quite well.” Eisener nodded, rocking himself in his chair.

“Y-Yes...Yes, I am.”

“Stolzer would be proud.”

“He still acts strangely toward me, but I feel like he is proud of me.”

“Acts strangely how?”

“He seems to struggle with his memory of me. I ask him simple things about my past that includes him and he remembers, but he doesn't believe he should know it.” Rena stared into the mug of coffee and drained it shortly after.

The ruckus of the cleaning and Ana's orders interrupted her train of thought.

“If it were possible, I would like to see my old friend. Perhaps another meeting with me would jog his memory.” Eisener set his mug near the forge and struggled to stand upright.

“S-Sir, you shouldn't...!”

“Don't tell an old man to not do what he can do.” He barked.

She shook her head in dismay.

“Papa, the shop is clean for now. Are we going to see Stolzer?” Ana peeked from the door leading to the kitchen, seeming hopeful.

“Aye, get your things. Clean yourself, you look like you rolled out from behind the forge!”

“Yes, papa.” The door shut behind her.

Rena and Gelehrter exchanged glances. They attempted to take the hammer from Eisener, but the man refused countless times. His right arm seemed to protest when he moved the tool, but he managed to leave the forge unaided.

The cold of autumn gently caressed them like a lover. Orange and red leaves retreated at their wake, each step crushing them.

The group headed for the Citadel far in the distance, Rena and Gelehrter acting as their escorts. The squire trailed behind them slightly, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

“I see you are still afraid of the night.” Eisener commented.

“Its been years, but I haven't been able to shake this feeling.” He sighed, a cloud being released into the air. “I suppose I will never get over it.”

Shadows extended far past buildings in the lull of twilight. The denizens retired to their homes, though few still ventured into the calm air. As the group passed them, they waved and attempted to speak to Rena or Gelehrter.

Steps surrounded the Citadel from all sides. The tower rose high into the heavens, no amount of wind could cause the structure to topple. Knights and other personnel exited or entered the building at all hours. No one dared to attack them close to their headquarters, as the invisible guardians stationed on the walls stood as their sentinels. Occasionally a crack would be heard and people would turn to the source. They would stand in silence, but continue with their duties.

“This place always seems to make my skin crawl.” Eisener muttered. When they approached, Rena nodded to the guardsman who allowed them to pass. Inside of the Citadel, the ceiling rose high into the heavens, but was concealed until one attempted to look up. Though night was approaching, the palatial chamber bustling with activity. Knights, their wards, magicians and other personnel moved through the area to perform their tasks. The emblem of Sanctuary, the fleur-de-lis, was emblazoned on all uniforms, save for the apprentices.

They headed for a lift and activated it with a press of a button. The lift took them to the Medical Wing with a code from Rena. As the doors opened, the Medical Wing was revealed to them. The beds aligned against the wall were rarely occupied in times of peace, though one man lived there for years. His place gravitated all over, depending on the time of year, but he remained near the center. Within arms reach was a bookshelf, the tomes leaving the shelf to be replaced by others. The man with dark hair and eyes seemed to be only interested in absorbing information, his sword and uniform remaining in the same location they had been placed in years ago.

His head perked up when he heard the door to the lift open. He smiled at them, but took no time to leave his bed to greet them.

“Making an old man come to you, is that it?” Eisener growled, leaning on Ana as he made his way over. The master smith helped himself onto a bed next to him.

“Aye, I'm afraid I can't leave the Medical Wing any longer. The answers I give aren't satisfactory I suppose.” Stolzer shrugged, marking his place in the book with a loose sheet of paper.

“Your legs still work, don't they?” Ana remarked.

“They stopped working.” Stolzer shook his head in response, removing the covers. His legs were bandaged heavily, the smell of rotting flesh meeting them. They all gagged nearly in unison.

“...How on Sanctuary did this happen to you?” Rena pulled the covers over him and stared at him inquisitively.

“I don't know, I've been doing some research though. Ovelia allows me do that at least.” The former Justicar lowered his head and hugged himself. “Its been quite tough, but I'm managing.”

“Do you have any good reads on smithing, old boy?” Eisener brushed off the subject of his legs.

“You know smiths never write down anything.”

“Aye, we used to. Back when Ernald was Sanguine Overlord, everything was archived.” Eisener motioned for Ana, who lit his pipe with a match.

Gelehrter blinked in surprise, eyeing Eisener with newfound curiosity. “Ernald, the first Sanguine Overlord? I've read much about him, but I would never dream of meeting someone who knew him!”

“What, you never told him?” Stolzer shrugged nonchalantly at the question from his friend. “Aye, I knew Ernald. If you were anyone, you knew him. The man was a legend at making people angry! He would fuss all the time about us writing down our trade secrets, never mind how long it took us to discover new ways to burn fuel more effectively and ways to bend steel under our hammer like it was rubber!” The master smith puffed on his pipe, weaving magic into the rings of smoke he blew. Images of the fabled Ernald took shape, the authoritative air of a man who wanted to collect all knowledge for the future. “Aye, our techniques were kin to gold in his eyes. We, who taught our secrets only to our apprentices, to those who were strong enough for smith's work, were what he was after. Imagine that!”